Chosen One
by Doe Eyed Dreamer
Summary: The legendary Pokemon collector is back! And this time, he's after a prize far greater than Lugia:the entire WORLD. An adventure in which Ash discovers his role as the 'chosen one' isn't quite over. Multiple pairings. LeafxGary, DrewxMay, PaulxDawn, AshxMisty...
1. Chapter 1

_Disturb not the harmony of fire, ice, and lightning, lest these Titans wreak destruction upon the world in which they clash. Though the water's great guardian shall arise to quell the fighting, alone it's song will fail, and thus the earth shall turn to ash. O Chosen One, into thine hands bring together all three. Their treasures combined tame the beast of the sea._

The moon was full in the sky; it's light casting a silvery glow against wreckage of the once majestic orbicular contraption. It was now garbage, nothing but worthless scraps of metal and wood protruding from mountainous expanses of debris and ash.

One man stood amidst it all, motionless as he stared out into the rolling waves of the ocean beyond. He wasn't sure how to feel, his face an expressionless mask that gave away nothing as embers rained down around him.

It was gone.

Everything he had ever worked for—ruined.

His entire body was numb.

There was nothing left.

But then, something in the destruction caught his eye, sparkling ominously beneath the stars, and he bent to retrieve it, eying the card with an apathetic face.

 _Mew._

His mind flashed back to hours prior, when those children and that trio of thieves were aboard his ship. Before he had lost everything.

 _"I had started with a mere Mew card."_ He had told them, _"And now I have all this."_

His body began to thaw, his voice a mere whisper against the wind.

"How it all began...and how it will begin...again."

* * *

 **A/n: this was something I was just toying with since I have severe writer's block on my other stories and seems to help.**

 **Frankly, I never understood why the collector never made another appearance considering his final words in Pokemon the movie 200, so this story is pretty much an interpretation of how I imagined it would all go down. (plus a few extra characters)**

 **Please review your thoughts, I eager to know what you all think :)**


	2. Chapter 2

_Five years later…_

Melody was bored.

She sighed, gazing out at the sea from her perch atop the roof of her house. The gentle breeze stirred her auburn tresses, causing them to obscure her vision before she irritably forced the thick strands back.

Living on a small island like Shamouti, life tended to be pretty mundane. Everyone knew everyone, and performing for the occasional tourists got drab after a while.

Well, except that one time, she couldn't help but thinking wistfully. And wistful she was.

Sure, the balance of the world had been in grave danger or whatever, but at least she had something to _do._

Sometimes she wished she would have gone with Ash, Misty, and Tracy when they had left the island—she'd always wanted to travel the world after all—but then another part of her, that damn responsible part, would make itself known and she would stay put. Because she was needed.

Her grandfather was growing weaker by the day, and her older sister Carol couldn't take care of everything on her own. Melody knew that, yet she just couldn't help wondering what if.

What if she wasn't obligated to stay here? What if she too could travel like Ash and his companions and see amazing things and have exciting adventures?

She saw him on tv from time to time, competing in tournaments and working towards his goal of becoming a pokemon master. He inspired her, not to mention he'd become very handsome, and she vowed one day she'd leave Shamouti and find something she loved just as much as he did.

"Melody!"

The intonation of her sister's voice caused the girl to groan. She sounded livid.

The brunette peered over the edge of the roof, watching as the short-haired woman below searched about the road frantically. Her pretty face was set in a scowl as she scanned the premises, hands perched tersely on her hips.

"Melody!" She called again, "I know you're around here somewhere, so you better come out this instant!"

Said girl rolled her eyes at her sister's antics. Who did she think she was, her mom?

"I'm right here." She sassed, and Carol's head snapped up, expression souring.

"And just what are you doing up there?" She chastised, "You're supposed to be performing right now, the guests are waiting!"

It was now Melody's turn to scowl.

"I'm sick of being the festival maiden!" She snapped, "I'm sixteen for Mew's sake, can't you find someone else?"

Carol huffed, exasperated.

"We've been through this a hundred times Melody." She crossed her arms, giving her sister a pointed look, "You're the only one available who knows how to play the song and fits the age bracket for the festival maiden."

Melody scoffed, flipping her trusty sunglasses over her eyes.

"Well that's just too bad then." She quipped, lounging back against the roof, "The Festival Maiden is on vacation today."

Carol fumed, face flushing an unhealthy maroon. _She could be such a brat._

"Don't make me come up there!" She growled.

Melody sat up, quirking a challenging brow at her sibling.

"As if you could hag." She retorted.

That was it. Carol had gotten enough. Melody would play for the tourist even if she had to climb up there and drag her back by her hair kicking and screaming!

The woman grittted her teeth, preparing to scale the side of the building when a loud clapping noise startled her, causing her to lose her balance and land harshly on her backside. A sharp, jarring spasm shot from her tailbone up her spine, yet she barely registered the pain.

There, across the previously cloudless blue sky, a burst of lighting flashed alarmingly close. Remembering her sister on the roof, panic seized her chest, and she whirled on Melody with wild eyes.

"Melody!" She screamed, "Get down from there right now."

Hearing her sister's distraught cry, Melody immediately scrambled from the rooftop, flinching and nearly losing her balance when another flash lit up the sky, followed by booming thunder. As soon as her feet touched the ground she was being hauled into the house, watching with wide eyes as the once peaceful island began to erupt in chaos.

Then there, so far away she almost couldn't distinguish it, a circular machine lifted into the sky.

It looked as if her boring days were finally over.

* * *

Gary Oak was restless.

He'd been stuck in the lab for weeks, and while he enjoyed anything to do with pokemon and science, (or any combination of the two really) he felt that if he stayed inside for another minute he'd combust like a Voltorb. That was why, when he heard the wild Pokemon near the legendary Bell Tower were acting strangely, he practically pounced on the opportunity to ditch his paperwork and check it out.

According to reports, the pokemon were congregating themselves around the entire perimeter of the tower, almost as if they were... _guarding_ it against something.

The young researcher found the whole situation quite peculiar, as the tower was once fabled to be the perch of the legendary bird Ho-oh, and the recent location of numerous Suicune sightings. In addition, the bells atop the tower were said to ring if either pokemon were predicted to show up.

And they'd been ringing for days now.

"A little faster Flygon." He requested, patting the dragon Pokemon gently upon the head. Its translucent wings beat twice as fast in response, causing his brown, spiky bangs to be blown off his forehead as the two surged forward through the sky.

He could see Ecruteak City just peeking out from beyond the clouds, and a strange feeling settled in his stomach.

Something big was happening, he could feel it.

And he was determined to figure out exactly what it was.

* * *

May was pretty sure they were lost. Not only had they lost sight of Violet City, but they weren't even on the trail anymore.

In fact, there was not longer a trail at _all._

"Um, Drew..." She began hesitantly, and the green-haired coordinator tensed. He knew exactly what was coming, he'd expected it for a while now.

That didn't mean he didn't dread it though.

And if there was one thing Drew Hayden dreaded, it was being wrong.

He groaned inwardly.

And in the company of May of all people?

He'd rather stick his head in a tank full of tentacruel.

"Yes May," he cut his rival off irritably. He refused to look at her. "I admit it—I have absolutely no idea where we are."

And with that he kept walking, effectively ending the conversation.

The brunette bit her lip, staring after him with troubled blue eyes.

She had figured as much. They'd been walking for several hours without a single change in the woodsy scenery around them, and although she refused to admit it, her feet had become quite painful. Not that she could mention this to Drew.

Her was her rival after all. And she refused to appear weak in front of him.

But as she took another step, a jarring pain seared up her leg, and the coordinator bit her tongue to muffle the yelp of pain that attempted to escape her throat.

This was not good.

She took another step, whimpering when the same jarring pulsation shot up her limb. Her head snapped up immediately, sagging in relief when she realized her companion had yet to notice her struggling and was, in fact, several yards ahead.

She frowned as she watched him get further and further away. She couldn't lose pace with him. Despite her fiery personality, she was terrified of the idea of being trapped alone in a dark forrest.

And that was exactly what would happen if she lost sight of Drew.

But her feet...

She gave a cursory glance at the back of the teen's head. His shoulders had gotten much broader than when May had met him initially at eleven years old. He was taller and more muscular as well.

Perhaps if she asked him to—

She banished the thought before it could even fully form.

No. Absolutely not.

She shook her head adamantly at the mere suggestion of asking him for help. No. That wouldn't do. She had to appear just as unaffected as he did.

She took another agonizing step, gritting her teeth at the burning sensation traveling up and down her legs.

She could do this.

She'd treat it as another episode of May's Expeditions.

Yeah. She totally could pull this off. She just had to take her mind off the pain.

"May finds herself stranded in the woods with her arch nemesis." She pants between steps. She held up her "camera", pointing it in the direction of said nemesis. "Will they make it out alive, or will they die because Drew was too stubborn to ask for directions? Stay tuned."

By this point she had covered some ground between her and her rival, and he turned to to shoot her a dirty look over his shoulder.

"No one told you to stalk me after bumping into each other at the pokemon center." He scoffed, "I don't remember inviting you to travel with me."

May's face bloomed with color.

"I wasn't stalking you." She denied, though her voice was much more high-pitched than usual. "I just wasn't sure where the next contest was, and I thought you of all people would be capable of using a pokenav!"

This time Drew turned around fully, narrowing his green eyes at her.

"At least I can turn one on." He retorted, "Miss, _'omg, does this thing even have an on switch?'_ "

He had made his voice all squirrelly and obnoxious towards the end, causing his companion to scowl.

He countered the look with a triumphant smirk.

"It's the big red button by the way." He divulged, a mocking glint in his eye, "Just in case you were still trying to figure it out."

Her blush spread.

She was.

"I do _not_ sound like that." She huffed indignantly, choosing not to address the last remark.

Drew snorted.

"That's highly debatable."

Both trainers stared each other down, neither saying a word as they watched the other scrutinize them from head to toe. The crackling tension between them was nearly palpable, and Drew found his heart had sped to nearly twice its normal rate.

He felt his brow crease.

May. Just the mere mention of the girl had his stomach twisting into knots and blood pounding furiously. She was just so—ugh. He couldn't really describe it. She really irritated him for some reason, yet he felt inexplicably drawn to her at the same time.

He'd felt that way when he first met her, after the Grand Festival all those years ago, and throughout their encounters since.

Even now, as she glowered at him with those fierce, sapphire eyes that gave all her emotions away, he just wanted to be closer.

And give her another rose.

It disturbed him, and he vaguely wondered if he was a masochist.

Sure, she was pretty. But he'd seen many beautiful, even gorgeous girls during his travels.

So why did he have to be fascinated with the only one who deemed him her 'arch nemesis'?

She was beginning to get uncomfortable with his staring, he could tell by the way her eyes darted around and her hands fidgeted against her skirt. His eyes moved of their own accord, traveling past the subtle swell of her hips and skimming the length of her slender, shapely legs.

And that's when he noticed it.

His gaze immediately snapped to hers.

"What's wrong with your legs?"

She jumped, startled, before focusing her gaze on a point past his shoulder.

"Nothing." She muttered. Total lie. He could tell.

She looked as if she would collapse any second.

But he wouldn't push—it wasn't his style. He'd just wait for the opportune moment to expose her dishonesty.

He hid his frown, turning swiftly on his heel and ploughing onwards.

He never did like when people hid things from him, especially someone as transparent as May. It was an insult to his intelligence.

"Whatever you say, May."

* * *

"Ash!" Dawn exclaimed, blue eyes narrowed, "Brock said the food was for _both_ of us. Quit hogging it all!"

The raven haired teen quirked a brow at the girl, smiling slightly when Pikachu clambered into his lap. He began to stroke the electric pokemon with languid strokes, causing the tiny mouse to release a delighted, "Chu."

"I'm bigger." He stated matter-if-factly, still absently petting Pikachu's back, "Therefore I need more food."

He then promptly stuffed another sandwich in his mouth, causing the blunette to sputter indignantly and whirl in the direction of their third companion.

"Bra-ock." She whined, causing said man to glance up from where he was feeding his Mudkip a few feet away. "Ash is eating all the food again!"

Brock smothered a smile. He actually found the situation quite humorous, considering he knew the trainer was only doing it to get under Dawn's skin.

She makes this really funny face when she's angry, Ash explained to his friend once when he'd asked about his constant teasing over their newest travel buddy, and he couldn't say he disagreed with him.

It was funny. Hilarious even.

Her face turned pink, cheeks puffed out, and lips pursed. She looked exactly like her beloved Piplup.

"Knock it off Ash." He reprimanded, though it lacked any real reproach, "You're being greedy."

Ash shrugged.

"Can't help it Brock." His brown eyes twinkled as he grinned shamelessly back at the breeder, "Your cooking's simply too amazing for me to control myself."

Dawn scoffed, shooting him a dirty look and muttering a petulant,

"Yeah right."

Brock simply shook his head at the two. They really were an amusing pair. Almost like siblings.

The dark skinned man snickered as he watched them continue grapple and argue over the last sandwich.

And more alike than they realized, he couldn't help but add mentally.

What they didn't know, however, was that he had made an extra batch of sandwiches and hid them at the bottom of his bag. Brock snickered again.

Why get rid of his own personal entertainment?

Currently Ash held the sandwich victoriously over over his head, keeping Dawn's fingers just out of reach with a well-placed palm to her forehead. She scowled, tackling him into the grass and causing the breaded triangle to slip from his grasp. They both watched wide-eyed as Pikachu scampered up to it, shoving the whole thing in its tiny mouth.

Brock guffawed.

Yup. He'd keep that secret to his grave.

"Hey, isn't that Paul?"

Dawn had pulled away from Ash at that point, squinting at a lone figure in the distance.

Ash frowned, squinting in the same direction. Brock did the same.

The trio was situated atop a gently sloped hill, overlooking the landscape of a small, rural town a few miles off. Whoever the figure was appeared as just a shadow against the backdrop of the sunset, their movements swift and purposeful.

"How can you be sure?" Ash asked, "They're so far away."

Dawn shrugged, fidgeting slightly.

"I just know."

Ash didn't bother pressing further, but Brock couldn't help sending the girl a questioning glance. You'd have to know someone's appearance and demeanor rather well to recognize them from so far away, and as far as he knew she wasn't very fond of Ash's latest rival to notice such details about him. Not to mention she seemed to suddenly find a loose string in her skirt quite interesting.

He didn't say anything, but filed that information away to analyze later.

Ash was practically vibrating with excitement, not seeming to pick up on the strange atmosphere of his companions.

"Well what are we waiting for!" He exclaimed, jumping to his feet. He motioned for his yellow partner, who eagerly hopped up his body to take its place at his shoulder. "Let's battle!"

Brock couldn't help but smile.

Clearly, some things just never changed.

* * *

"And Johto Champion, dragon master Lance has yet again defended his title against this year's Indigo League champion!" The announcer on the screen exclaimed. Her brown eyes shined with clear adoration as said man's photo appeared on the monitor behind her, a dreamy smile curling her lips as she gazed up at it.

"Of course no one expected anything less of the man who single-handedly took down Team Rocket." She swooned.

The sound of glass shattering filled the previously silent room, the silhouette of a man visible against the closed curtains. His body was rigidly stiff, the light from the television causing the white of his eyes to glow ominously against the dark backdrop. The Pokemon at his side attempted to soothe him, rubbing its face against his knee.

"Typical." The word was harsh and clipped at he petted the animal roughly.

After a moment the women on the screen seemed to regain her composure, assuming a more professional posture.

"As we all know, Lance obtained his title after he defeated former champion Agatha at 19 years old." Here, clips of Lance's and Agatha's world renowned battle replaced the photo, causing the woman to once agin slip into swoon-mode."Will there ever be another champion? Or will the handsome, courageous Lance remain at his post until his death? Stay tuned for tonight's exclusive interview!"

The t.v. clicked off.

There was a faint knock on the door, and the shadow at the opposite corner of the room bristled.

"Come in." He answered gruffly.

A sliver of light entered the space, revealing numerous splotches and glass shards littering the cement floor. The slim figure of a female slipped inside, before enveloping the room in darkness once more.

"Speak." The man ordered.

The woman didn't hesitate, her undaunted voice reverberating off the walls.

"You have a visitor."

The man's body coiled in his chair, his petting ceasing. The Pokemon whined, but he ignored it, the reflection of his eyes narrowing to slits.

"Tell them to leave."

The woman didn't budge.

"But Sir," she intoned, "I believe he has a proposition you'd consider worth your while."

The man seemed to consider this, posture relaxing and hand returning to continue stroking his pokemon's fur.

"Concerning what?" He murmured.

"Revenge."

* * *

 **A/n: please review if you've enjoyed this story. It give me, the author, motivation as well as an idea of what my audience is thinking. Feedback greatly appreciated, and thank you all for reading :)**


End file.
